


Novelty

by Halmaithor



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: ALSO - slight non-con warning, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Demonic Possession, Hopeful Ending, Immortality Issues (Shadowhunter Chronicles), M/M, POV Magnus Bane, Talking, nothing graphic but details in the author's notes, potentially even 'happy ending' but it's not AS fluffy as usual so ya know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25768906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halmaithor/pseuds/Halmaithor
Summary: ‘I’m done being some fleeting amusement for you. And you’re gonna regret not taking me seriously.’Set between 3x14 and 3x15. Alec has a really, really bad day at the office.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 18
Kudos: 98





	Novelty

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Long time no see. This is a self-indulgent little thing I mostly started working on to hit my word count for Camp NaNoWriMo, aha. Also, I wasn't disappointed with how they resolved the immortality argument in 3x07, but there's always room for a little more conversation on that topic!
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: There is a very slight non-con warning for this story, regarding kissing. More details in the end notes if you want them before deciding whether to read. Stay safe <3

The fire message from Alexander is unexpected, but welcome, and Magnus smiles as he puts down his book of Tennyson poetry. ‘Apologies, Chairman,’ he says, moving the cat off his lap and rolling his eyes at the complaining _mroww_ he gets, as if Magnus has just dropped him fifty feet onto concrete instead of moving him a matter of inches onto the other couch cushion so that he can swing his legs around and stand up. ‘Yes, all right. Take it up with the one who summoned me.’

He twists his arm in his usual flourish – ignoring the brief throb of a headache, it’s _fine,_ it’s an adjustment period is all – and steps through the portal, straight from Alec’s bedroom and into his office. ‘Well, this is a lovely surprise,’ he purrs, walking over and looping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. ‘Did you need something? I wasn’t expecting to see you until dinner time.’

‘No, I’m on a coffee break and just wanted to see you – I wasn’t expecting you to portal over here so quickly,’ Alec says mildly. ‘Didn’t fancy the walk?’   
‘Says the man who sent a _fire message_ from one side of the Institute to the other,’ Magnus teases. ‘Besides, what’s the point of having magic if you don’t use it?’ He steps forward, until the warmth of Alec’s chest against his can chase away the nagging anxiety in his lungs, can quell the rebellious spark that he _knows_ has made him more magic-dependent in the last few days, after spending far too long feeling so _weak_ without it. ‘And for another thing,’ he says, snapping his fingers with a smirk, the lock on the office door audibly clicking. ‘What was it you said the other day about _enjoying every moment?’_

‘Right,’ Alec says – and he looks a little distracted, but before Magnus can worry too much about that their lips are suddenly together, and he mentally shrugs, waving it off as telegraphed intention and closing his eyes, leaning into the kiss with a pleased hum. Alec walks them across the room, Magnus stepping backwards trustingly, assuming that they’re heading over to the small couch for a comfortable place to sit –   
And immediately being proved wrong as Alexander pulls away from the kiss, Magnus’ eyes flying open in confusion and displeasure. ‘Alexander, is something wrong?’ he asks, stepping forward –

And stumbling as he runs into an invisible wall.

He looks down at his feet, the outlines of a now-activated containment circle glowing a faint red, and his heart sinks even as he looks back up at Alec, a thread of anger pulling his expression taut and controlled. ‘Alec, what the fuck-‘  
‘Quiet,’ Alec growls – and Magnus obliges, because if he talks again it might move his adam’s apple further into the seraph blade that’s suddenly pointed at it. ‘You come in here, with your brand-new magic and your flirting – what, like you _care_ about me?’ Alec huffs an unimpressed laugh, and Magnus’ stomach turns because something is horribly, _horribly_ wrong. ‘Like I’m not just the blink of an eye, now that you’ve got your magic back? Now that you’ve got _centuries_ again?’

He turns away, stalking around the circle – and Magnus risks letting out a tendril of magic, resisting the urge to groan at what he finds because he’s a damned _idiot,_ and this time, it might just get him killed.   
Because this isn’t Alec, and if he’d walked in here with his _own_ magic instead of the sorry, half-fitting replacement Lorenzo gave him, he’d likely have known it the second he walked in. Now that he’s actively looking for it, the brief trail of possession in the air is almost painfully obvious.

He swallows, trying to keep himself calm. _Stall._ ‘That’s not true,’ he insists, warily keeping to the opposite side of the circle from Alec, as far away as he can get in the limited space. ‘And if you were yourself right now, you’d know that. I _love_ you, Alexander.’  
‘No!’ – and there’s the seraph blade at his throat again, flickering a little rosily with the demon’s influence, and Magnus has the bizarre thought that _this is what comes of dating someone so tall_ because Alec doesn’t even have to step into the trap to reach him, can stay outside of the circle and remain invulnerable to Magnus’ magic.   
Alec’s expression crumples, and if the situation were different, it would twist Magnus’ heart to see. ‘Am I even gonna go in your box?’ Alec whispers. ‘Why would I? A _Shadowhunter,_ a descendant of the _Circle;_ someone who’s fucked up at _every_ damn opportunity and cost you _everything,_ more than once.’ He laughs, and it’s a broken, mangled thing, his blade shaking as he withdraws it once again. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. This isn’t _real,_ is it? That’s why you haven’t called it off – because it doesn’t matter, because it’s not a _relationship._ I’m just something for you to play with until the novelty wears off – in a decade or two, if I’m _lucky.’_ His eyes harden, his posture turning stiff and angry. ‘Well, you know what? I’m done with it. I’m done letting you use me like that.’

‘That’s not _true,’_ Magnus says again, well-aware that he sounds a little desperate now but _fuck it,_ he’s _losing_ him – and with a silenced, locked door between him and help, and Magnus’ new seed of magic still too weak to break out of this trap, talking’s the only that might, _maybe,_ get them both out of this. ‘Alexander, _please._ Listen to me.’ He keeps his voice encouraging, gentle – he’s not afraid to be on the verge of begging, if that’s what it takes. ‘You’re not a novelty. You’re not just something to pass the time. Think about it for a moment; we’d only just had our first kiss, and when Valentine’s men descended, I _surrendered,_ because I couldn’t bear to see you hurt. Or how about when your soul got lost in the parabatai bond, before we’d even had our first date?’ Alec’s looking at him again, now, and Magnus steps forward a little, encouraged. ‘You must remember me saying how Raj tried to stop me, tried to make me leave? I _attacked_ him, Alexander. I might have killed him if I had to, because all I wanted was for you to be safe.’

He smiles, not fighting the tears that spring to his eyes, because _gods,_ if he screws this up, he’s dead and Alec won’t be much better off, devastated by a guilt and a grief Magnus knows intimately and wouldn’t wish on anyone, let alone his Alexander. ‘Whatever that voice in your head is telling you, Alexander, it isn’t real,’ he implores. _‘This_ is real. _We_ are real. I haven’t stood by you throughout our hardships because you’re temporary, I’ve done it because I _love_ you.’ He lets out a long, shuddering breath, forcing himself to open his arms in a gesture of trust, of welcome. ‘Please, Alexander. Fight this. Come back to me.’

Something flickers across Alec’s expression, and Magnus’ heart skips a beat.   
But then Alec is shaking his head, drawing back the blade, and shifting his stance in a way Magnus has seen too many times not to recognize as going in for the kill. ‘No,’ Alec says – and there’s no hurt or doubt, now, just anger and determination. ‘I’m done being some fleeting amusement for you. And you’re gonna regret not taking me seriously.’

The blade flashes and Magnus somehow finds a smile, tries to find the words for _I’m sorry_ and _I love you_ and _I forgive you –  
_ And then there’s a splintering sound behind him and a blur in front of him, a dagger sinking into Alec’s wrist and the seraph blade dropping from his grip as he howls in pain – and then there’s someone at Magnus’ side, ripping another blade through the containment circle and _gods,_ Magnus never thought he’d be so happy to see Jace Herondale as he is right now.   
‘Thank you, Blondie,’ he says – and then he’s pouring all of his fading adrenaline into his magic, forcing Alec down to his knees and holding him fast and safe.

His captive struggles for a moment; but then his face clears from fury into a smug smile, his eyes flooding with black as the demon drops the charade. ‘If I go, I’m taking him with me,’ it hisses.   
Magnus can practically feel Jace tense up beside him, but he pushes down his own instinctive thrill of fear in favor of an eye roll. ‘Nice try, but you’re nowhere near that powerful,’ he scoffs. ‘And I’ll be taking my boyfriend back now.’ He twists his hands, and grins as he feels the demon give way, its attempts to hold on inside Alec futile. ‘Buh-bye.’

Gray smoke billows into the room, blinking into existence around Alec – and with another lazy wave of Magnus’ hand it’s turned to ash a moment later.

He drops to his knees, taking the weight as he lets the magic go and Alec slumps forward, unconscious. ‘I’ve got you,’ he whispers; and he closes his eyes, allows himself just a moment of relief because it’s _over._ ‘I’ve got you. It’s all right.’   
A quick magical scan reveals no injury – besides the wrist, of course, which he quickly heals – and so he takes a deep breath and stands the both of them up, glancing over when Jace silently slips under Alec’s other shoulder. ‘Excellent timing on your part,’ he comments, summoning a portal with his last scrap of energy and swiftly dismissing the swell of irritation at how easily his magic drains itself these days. ‘I’m guessing you felt the possession in some way?’   
‘Not exactly,’ Jace says, pausing for a moment as they step through into Alec’s room, and between them get him laid out on the bed. ‘I think I felt a bit of it, but mostly, what got my attention was _his_ reaction – you know, _underneath_ it, the real him that was trapped behind what the demon was doing.’   
‘Oh?’ Magnus asks, taking a seat up by the headboard and resting a hand in Alec’s curls, pleasantly grounded by the touch.   
‘Yeah,’ Jace says, and when Magnus looks back up at him, he’s caught by a grave, intense gaze. ‘I haven’t felt fear like that from him since the day the Soul Sword went off.’   
‘…Oh.’ Magnus nods slowly, the weight of that not lost on him. ‘I see.’

Jace nods back in acknowledgement, gently clapping Alec’s shoulder as he gets up and heads for the door. ‘I should probably go tell Izzy what happened,’ he says. ‘Let us know when he wakes up, okay?’  
‘Of course,’ Magnus says, and then Jace is gone and he’s alone with Alec once more.

With no-one left to hide from, he closes his eyes, and waits for the ringing in his ears to go away.

  
Judging by the light in the room, it’s not long before there’s a shifting at his side, and Magnus opens his eyes again. ‘Alexander?’ he calls softly, leaning forward and twisting until he’s facing his boyfriend, one hand cradling his face as the other reaches out for one of Alec’s hands. ‘Are you with me?’   
Alec’s face scrunches briefly – and then his eyes squint open, his mouth twitching up into a half-smile. ‘Hey,’ he mumbles.   
Magnus’ relief bolsters his exhaustion, but it’s welcome nevertheless. ‘Hey. How are you feeling?’   
‘Fine,’ Alec says; and Magnus lets him get away with the white lie, doesn’t even comment when Alec sits up and immediately winces, blood rushing away from an abused head and through muscles that must be aching. ‘What happened?’   
‘What do you remember?’ Magnus says, in lieu of an answer.

Alec frowns. ‘I was in my office?’ He looks back at Magnus – and that must be enough to trigger some kind of memory, because his face instantly falls, shock draining his color, worried hands reaching out and stopping just shy of touching. ‘Oh god, it – Are you okay? Did I hurt you?’   
‘No, no, I’m fine,’ Magnus says, smiling as if to prove it, holding up a hand to forestall any other concern, the other briefly cupping Alec’s jaw in a gesture of reassurance. ‘Everything’s okay, I promise. I’m guessing you remember the possession, then?’   
‘Only – only bits and pieces,’ Alec says, reaching out and lightly skimming a hand over Magnus’ arm. ‘How did you…’  
‘Jace,’ Magnus supplies. ‘Thankfully, I hadn’t magically sealed the door, only locked it. He broke in just in time.’   
‘Just in time,’ Alec echoes, and he lets out a deep breath. ‘I’m so sorry.’   
‘You don’t have to be,’ Magnus says firmly. ‘It wasn’t you.’   
‘I know,’ Alec says unconvincingly. ‘But still, what I almost did, what I must have _said-‘_  
‘-Was _not you,’_ Magnus insists. ‘It was a demon twisting perfectly natural, harmless insecurities. That’s all.’ And he believes that, honestly, knows how possession will drive the tiniest grievances to outlandish extremes.   
But he’s not infallible, either, and he can’t quite help reach for his own reassurance even as he silently chides himself for doing it. ‘After all, I’m fairly certain you know that I love you, that you’re not just some _distraction,’_ he says quietly, glad not to be making eye contact anymore as he hears the levity fall flat. ‘Obviously, you must know how important you are to me, after all we’ve been through.’

It’s not a good piece of acting on his part, of course, and Alec sighs. ‘That’s what I said?’ He shifts a little closer, wrapping an arm around Magnus’ waist. ‘I’m sorry.‘  
‘Alexander, you don’t have to be, you don’t have to explain-‘  
‘But I _want_ to,’ Alec insists. ‘Please.’   
And Magnus isn’t sure he wants this conversation today, if ever – but it’s never been easy for him to refuse any request from a loved one, and so he nods.

Alec’s quiet for a moment. ‘I know that you love me,’ he says eventually, and something inside Magnus eases to hear that. ‘And I know that our – situation, our lifespans, don’t change that. It’s just… hard, sometimes. But it’s not on you to change anything,’ he adds. ‘It’s just something _I_ have to wrap my head around. And it’s a good thing in a lot of ways, because I’m happy that you’ve been happy, you know? But that doesn’t stop the more… _unhelpful_ feelings turning up sometimes, the – the insecurities, or whatever. Even though I know that what they’re saying isn’t true.’

He reaches over with his free hand and taps on Magnus’ thigh, asking for his attention, and Magnus obliges, turning back to face him. ‘I love you, and I know that you love me,’ Alec says again, a small, sad smile crossing his face. ‘That’s what matters. The rest is just… something that might take me a while to work through.’

Magnus returns the smile as best he can. ‘I know,’ he says. ‘And I’m sorry I tried to rush it, before, tried to – explain away your feelings. I suppose I was just… afraid.’   
‘Afraid?’ Alec prompts, gently.   
Magnus shrugs. ‘I owe more than a few _goodbye_ s to this topic,’ he admits. ‘Not their fault, of course - it’s a lot for someone to deal with, whatever kind of relationship may have been between us. But that’s why I got – _defensive._ Because I was afraid that…’  
He trails off – but thankfully, Alexander knows him well enough by now that he gets the idea. ‘You thought it would be ‘too much’ for me, too,’ he finishes.   
Magnus lets out a single breath of mirthless laughter, looking down at the light playing off of his rings. ‘I know that’s not a fair reaction, and I honestly wouldn’t blame you if that were the case. But – well. It’s no secret that the possibility of losing you doesn’t leave me at my best.’

‘Magnus,’ Alec says softly, and he doesn’t speak again until Magnus looks back up at him. ‘It’s completely fair for you to want someone to stick around, to accept all of you – and when it comes to this issue, I’m gonna be that person. You’re not losing me over this, I swear.’ His tone is even, his gaze sincere, and Magnus lets himself get lost in that certainty, just for a moment. ‘Whatever I need to sort out in my own head, I don’t want you to be afraid that I’m gonna leave you over it. Because I honestly don’t ever see that happening – for _any_ reason.’

And it almost makes Magnus feel a little bad, because Alec’s the one who’s gone through something awful today, and yet he’s also the one supplying the comfort – but nonetheless, he nods, tries to take the much-needed assurance to heart. ‘Okay,’ he says quietly. ‘I’ll try and remember that.’   
‘Good.’ Alec smiles, wider and more genuine.

Magnus can’t quite return it, this time, he’s still too raw from the day they’ve had - so instead, he leans in for a kiss.   
It’s a better demonstration of how he’s feeling, in any case.

**Author's Note:**

> Slight Non-Con warning: While possessed by a demon, Alec kisses Magnus, distracting him long enough to lead him into a trap. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please do let me know what you thought. 
> 
> [Find me on tumblr!](silver-latin-and-salt.tumblr.com)


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